A Year's Worth of Bonds
by UsaratonkachiNindo
Summary: Naruto never thought that Konoha Academy's star pupil would ever cross paths with his own. Fate, however, had other plans. HighSchool AU


First story for these two! I actually got off my lazy bum and actually finished a chapter of a fanfic... woot woot haha

Yes, I'm well aware of the overly used, cliché AU that I have chosen, but I can't help it; I adore school AUs *sheepish smile*

Hope you like it~ ^-^

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise.**

* * *

The teachers' office, which was alive with a small buzz of conversation and clicks of computer mouses, always gave Naruto Uzumaki a feeling of claustrophobia despite it being spacious than most classrooms. No matter how many times he had been called into there, the feelings of confinement and discomfort never left the blond. The distasteful glares of the other teachers that were sent his way didn't help.

Pushing down the urge to bolt out of the room, he stayed seated across his homeroom teacher, right leg bouncing in an impatient matter.

Said teacher, a man in his mid-twenties adorned with a scar across the bridge of his nose, was sifting through a stack of papers, mouth set in a thin line. The man scanned through the pile, taking note of the red grades listed at the top of each before straightening the stack and placing it neatly on the table next to him.

"Naruto, I'm pretty sure that you know why I brought you in here," Iruka began, eyeing the boy in front of him. Naruto let out a small huff but otherwise stayed silent as he ran a hand through his spiky blond hair, eyes averting to the window and looking out. The sky was the perfect shade of cerulean, the soft rays of the sun beaming down on the school grounds and the surrounding buildings. Cherry blossom trees bordered the roads, soft pink petals gently riding the mild spring breeze. It would have been a perfect day to go cloud watching…

"With the start of a new school year, I expected a bit more effort from you in your academics, especially after you specifically told me last year that you'd do so. Your grades so far, however, as well as your short attention span," Iruka continued, rapping his ruler in an annoyed manner on his table to get his student's attention, "-are telling me otherwise." Blue eyes snapped out of their trance at the loud noise, and the teen turned back towards his teacher in a still-unfocused state.

"Uhh, whaa?"

The brown-haired man gave an exasperated sigh. He leaned on his hand, massaging his temples as he kept his patience in check.

"Naruto, this is your last year in high school."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know," he replied. "And?"

Another huff of air escaped Iruka's lips. "Do you want to repeat year?"

"Like hell I want to repeat a year!" exclaimed Naruto, jumping out of his seat as his eyebrows furrowed at the mere thought of being confined to this prison of a school for another whole year more than necessary. "Three years is enough already, do you really think I want to stay here?

"Well that's where it's going if you keep on getting these grades!" Iruka shot back irately. He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, scolding himself for losing his temper. The teacher slumped into his seat.

"No point in beating around the bush with you," he grumbled before straightening up and staring at the teen across him right in the eye. "Naruto. It's simple; get these grades up and you're good to go. Otherwise, you're repeating."

An indignant groan erupted from the blonde's mouth. "But sensei-"

"Don't you dare complain. You're the one that said you don't need a tutor, that you get all the concepts. Step your game up, Naruto, or I'll just have to assign one to you."

"I _do_ know the material…"

"Your 34 on the recent English test tells me otherwise."

Naruto glared at the stack of graded papers as if they had betrayed him in some way. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, visibly sulking.

"...fine. But give me a starting point. A guidebook or two wouldn't hurt..." he muttered, shooting a sideways glance at his teacher.

Iruka chuckled quietly, shaking his head at the other. He took a notepad on the desk next to him, jotted down some titles, and gave the note to Naruto.

"Here are a few study guidebooks that has helped kids in the past. Hopefully it could get through even that thick skull of yours," he informed jokingly, ruffling the student's hair when a half-hearted glare was sent his way. "Those can be found in the school library. Might be a good idea to go and check them out now. You'll be having a retest on Monday."

"Yes, yes," Naruto replied, already leaving the office without dismissal, waving and calling out a small thanks before closing the office door with a slam. Iruka sighed, giving apologetic looks to the other teachers that glared irritably.

"That rascal…"

* * *

Trudging through the hallways, Naruto glared at the neat handwriting printed on the pastel-yellow note, resisting the urge to rip it into a million pieces and discard them out one of the windows. The school year barely started, and he was already being harped on about his grades. It was times like this when the blonde wondered if school was worth it. It's not like they required high school diplomas from travelers.

Of course, the more reasonable side of his mind knew why he bothered. Finish high school, and he could do whatever he wanted. Or at least that's the deal he made with Grandma Tsunade.

The boy sighed, accepting his fate as the entrance of the library came into view at the end of the hall. He pushed the doors open and looked around.

The first thing that Naruto noticed was the musty smell of old books that wafted through his nose, which, in return, wrinkled in distaste; the scent never appealed to him. As he padded towards the check-out desk, he noticed that it was awfully quiet. Given, school _was_ over, and most of the students have gone home, not to mention that this _was_ a library, but faint whispers and the scratching of lead on paper should be heard subtly throughout the room… even Naruto knew that, and this was probably the first time since his first year in high school that he visited the place.

The librarian was busying herself with a stack of books when Naruto walked up to her, clearing his throat to get her attention. She jumped slightly and whirled around, surprised. Upon seeing Naruto, her shoulders visibly relaxed, and she smiled lightly. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm looking for these books," Naruto informed, handing her the note with the book titles written on them. The librarian set down the few books in her arms and took the note, scanning it quickly.

"Having some trouble with your studies, I presume?" she teased, laughing when Naruto rubbed the back of his neck while wearing a sheepish expression. "These study books are over there at the far back near the windows. They're most likely on the higher shelves, so help yourself with one of the step ladders."

Thanking the lady, the blonde headed toward where she indicated. The bookshelves seemed to never end as he walked deeper into the library, and all the way through, he didn't see even one person. The blonde was just about to deem himself lost-he swears he passed by that moldy corner on the shelf at least three times!-when he spied an aged piece of paper taped on one of the shelves that read "Textbooks/Study Guides."

Naruto entered the corridor formed by the two surrounding bookshelves, dragging a nearby step ladder with him as he scanned through the bindings to find the matching titles of the note. The books that he found were indispensably thick, about the same width as the palm of his hand and awfully heavy.

"Damned sensei," the blonde grumbled as he took the books out one by one, coughing as dust arose from the untouched upper shelves. "He expects me to read through every single one of these monsters?"

Wobbling dangerously as he climbed down from the ladder, Naruto made his way back towards the front desk at a snail's pace, trying desperately to upright and balance the leaning tower of study guides. Unfortunately for him, however, the effort was futile.

Not even three feet away from the corridor he had exited, the boy tripped over his own feet, and Naruto fell rather unceremoniously, the sound of fluttering pages all around him as the guides toppled out of his arms.

The silence that followed the clutter was short lived as a loud groan was emitted from underneath the pile of books. The person held captive by said books straightened himself up, shaking his ruffled hair into place as he mentally cursed whatever deity was mocking him from above. Getting up on his feet, Naruto grudgingly began to pick up the scattered books, which have strayed into the aisle of bookshelves nearest to him.

It was then that the blonde noticed something farther in the aisle… or in this case, a person who was on the ground and leaning against one of the bookcases. It was a Friday afternoon, and a beautiful one at that. Who on earth would want to spend it in this musty school library? Curiosity piqued, Naruto walked over towards the figure to get a better look, picking up his books on the way. He crouched down next to the unknown individual.

The boy on the floor was obviously a student, for he adorned the same outfit as Naruto, albeit in a tidier fashion than the latter. The royal blue tie indicated that he, too, was a third-year. Ebony hair that strangely resembled the backside of a duck framed his pale face, a scowl gracing his lips. Despite being in such a vulnerable position, the boy irradiated elegance with an air of haughtiness, which somehow ticked off his observer. He definitely was familiar…

Upon realization, Naruto's brows furrowed. Duckbutt hair? Permanent scowl? An aura of intolerable arrogance? There was no doubt; this was Sasuke Uchiha, unanimously deemed the star pupil of Konoha Academy. Ultimately, there seemed to be nothing that the guy couldn't do. He was number one in academics, excelled in both track and tennis, and was a prodigious pianist. Nearly every girl in the school, young and old, fawned over him. Hell, even some guys wanted him. His cool demeanor merely pushed off the attention he received, and this only shot everyone's admiration for him even higher.

He pissed Naruto off.

"You know, watching someone sleep is rather creepy, don't you think?"

The sudden voice startled Naruto out of his thoughts. He looked over to see the boy's lids opening to reveal onyx eyes staring at him, the frown never leaving his face.

Heat rose to the blonde's cheeks in embarrassment. "L-like hell I was watching you sleep," he muttered, his eye catching the pile of books next to him. "I w-was just picking these up." Naruto waved the books in front of the other for emphasis.

"Oh? And you're telling me that the books fell all the way into the aisle when you fell way over there?" the raven asked offhandedly, nodding towards the other end of the corridor where Naruto tripped.

"..?! H-how'd you kno-"

"You really think I can sleep through all the ruckus that you were making, idiot?"

Naruto bristled. "I am not an idiot, you asshole!"

"Well, judging from the fact that you're holding a study guide for a first-year's English curriculum when you're clearly a third-year, I'd say that 'idiot' is a pretty generous observation."

The flushed blonde sputtered indignantly at the smirk sent his way. "W-what, are you deaf? I told you I was just putting these up for the librarian!" He only got a raised eyebrow in return. Doubt was clearly on Sasuke's face.

Not wanting to embarrass himself any further, Naruto got to his feet, taking the books with him as he spun around and headed out the aisle. "As if I need books like these," he shot back hotly before going back to the corridor where he found the books.

It was only after he exited the school did Naruto realize that he had no aid whatsoever for the retest he was to take on Monday. "And it's not like I can go back and check them out. What if that bastard's still there? Dammit…" He kicked a nearby rock in frustration and ran a hand through his hair as he debated on what to do.

A few minutes later, Naruto sighed and headed down the road towards his home. "Whatever… it's not like I can do worse than before or anything."

* * *

"I gave you study guides. I gave you back the test you failed so that you can check your answers and review. I even sent emails over the weekend reminding you about the retest," Iruka started, his hands massaging his scalp tiredly. "...So how on earth did you get a **7** on it?"

Naruto jammed his hands into his pockets, shuffling his feet as he avoided Iruka's gaze. "God must hate me," he thought as he sighed inwardly. A part of his mind was reprimanding that if he just swallowed his pride and actually checked out the books on Friday, he would have done much better than a measly 7, but Naruto pushed the thought away. When it came to the choice of his pride or his grades… well, the answer was obvious.

Iruka blew a steady stream of air out at Naruto's lack of response. He leaned back into his chair.

"Well, seeing how smoothly it went with you taking care of it yourself, I'm going to assign you a tutor."

As if on cue, the door to the teachers' office opened, and upon seeing who walked in, the blonde teen gawked in disbelief.

"No... no. Anyone but him!" he groaned inwardly, but he knew his complaints would do him no good. As Iruka introduced the duck-haired, arrogant bastard that was to be his tutor, Naruto looked upward.

"Yeap, no doubt. God hates me."

_TBC_

* * *

Whew, well there you go. Forgive me that it was so rushed... I'm gonna have to work on that form now on

Reviews are always welcome ^-^

-J.


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